To begin my first one-on-one lesson in gyrotonic, a Pilates-like exercise method originally created for dancers, my instructor, Liza, had me sit down on the contraption commonly known as “the rack.” We would start moving as we talked, she said. So I told her about my torn hip cartilage and we rocked on our sitz bones, tilting back and forth like we were on coil-bottomed horses in a playground.

Then she had me row my arms in big circles, without the machine and then on it. The round rotations were like canoeing or simultaneously churning two vats of butter. My tight shoulders emphatically resisted so Liza pressed into them, guiding them through the motions. Though it had looked like simple rowing when she demonstrated it, there was a lot to remember. Facing my elbow eyes up, engaging the abs, not arching my lower back, raising my chest, undulating the spine at the end of each row. Pretty soon I got that spacey feeling I usually get after being in a mall for two long.

We moved on to legs. She slipped my feet into smooth leather stirrups, which I thought would make very cute, comfy sandals, attached to long strands of elastic. She guided me through sets of walking, kicking, biking, and scissoring while I lay on my back, gams in the air––being extra stretched by the natural pull of the rack. Then we worked abs on the floor long enough to make me realize that I don’t really have any. But she was encouraging: “That shaking’s good!” she said, as I quivered up for another slow-mo crunch.

Shoulders were the last bit and my favorite. One move, the “yawn,” involves holding on to leather straps (also attached to elastic pullies) and stretching wide like an ambitious cat. In another shoulder exercise you swim the arms backward. The best part being a mini mid-swim back rub. Liza told me it was hard to get hurt on these machines even though they look daunting because “it’s like moving through water.” And now that I was in the flailing-yet-controlled swing of things, that made sense.

As I left I realized the spacey feeling was replaced mellow invigoration. I can see how gyrotonic opens the joints and strengthens while it softens. It worked so well that I’m going back next week.

For info on gyro near you: gyrotonic.com